The United States' efforts to limit India's purchases of Russian oil are running into new geopolitical obstacles. Indeed, the war in the Middle East and the disruption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz are dramatically changing the situation on the world oil market, forcing India to turn again to Russian supplies.
According to a CNN analysis, Washington has long pressured New Delhi to reduce Russian oil imports. Indeed, India has gradually begun to diversify its supplies and buy more crude from the Gulf region. However, this trend suddenly changed after the outbreak of the armed conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Fighting in the region has led to a significant reduction in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy arteries. Around a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass through the strait. Following the launch of US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February 2026, Tehran responded by warning shipping and severely restricting the passage of tankers, leading to a sharp drop in traffic in the area.
The disruption in transportation immediately affected the global energy market. Tankers began waiting for safe passage, some were even attacked by drones or missiles. At the same time, tensions in the region led to a sharp rise in oil prices and heightened fears of a shortage of crude on world markets.
In this situation, India has once again turned to Russia as a stable source of supply. Russian oil has become one of the few available alternatives for Indian refiners, as logistics routes from the Persian Gulf are now uncertain. According to Indian government data, Russian oil imports have reached more than one million barrels per day in recent months, accounting for a significant share of the country's total supply.
Meanwhile, the United States has effectively admitted that trying to cut Moscow off from one of its key customers will not be realistic in the current situation. The US Treasury has therefore issued a special 30-day licence allowing Indian refiners to buy Russian oil that has already been loaded onto tankers and is at sea. The licence also covers petroleum products and supplies loaded on ships up to 5 March.
According to US officials, the move is primarily intended to stabilise the global energy market at a time when the war in the Gulf region is causing significant disruption to supply chains, but it also shows the limits of Washington's geopolitical pressure.
Earlier this year, the United States was still considering tougher trade measures against India, including renewing additional tariffs on Indian goods if New Delhi continued to buy Russian oil. Now, however, the realities of the global energy market suggest that strategic and economic interests often outweigh political pressures.
gnews.cz - GH
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